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Learning from facial expressions in individuals with Williams syndrome
Author(s) -
Goldman K. J.,
Burack J. A.,
Shulman C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/jir.12316
Subject(s) - psychology , williams syndrome , facial expression , developmental psychology , mental age , cognition , competence (human resources) , nonverbal communication , social environment , social competence , context (archaeology) , social skills , cognitive psychology , social change , social psychology , psychiatry , paleontology , communication , political science , law , economics , biology , economic growth
Background Despite high levels of social engagement, the social competence of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) is frequently compromised. This descriptive study explores the ability of young people with WS to learn from facial expressions when provided as a source of feedback for their actions. Method Using a novel task, the ability to interpret facial expressions and adapt behaviour after receiving feedback in the form of happy or angry faces was assessed in 12 participants with WS aged between 10 and 28 years and with a mean nonverbal mental age of 6.5 years, and in typically developing (TD) children aged between 4 and 7 years. Results Individuals with WS were able to use facial expressions as feedback in a manner commensurate with their mental age, only when other cognitive demands were low. Their performance profile differed from that of the TD children matched for mental age and from the performance profile of 4 year olds. Conclusions Possible explanations for the unique performance profile observed in the participants with WS are discussed. The results highlight the need to examine social competencies in the context of the cognitive demands characteristic of social environments.